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Five Things Educators Will Have To Accept & Embrace

The
profession of education is going through unprecedented change.Many aspects of teaching and
school will eventually never be the same again.And nor should they.Although wholesale and fundamental changeis slow, there are some things that educators will have to accept
and embrace (if they plan on being successful and staying in the profession).

These five are:

1)Education is more PUBLIC than ever – I’m tired of the word
transparency.And that is really
just the beginning of being “public” as an educator in our changing
paradigm.We need to showcase our
professional work as educators, as well as the work of our students, with
larger communities.Venues such as
YouTube, Twitter and all Social Media outlets will be a foundational way for us
to continue the idea of being public.Whether it’s for parents, administration, district officials, government
agencies or others, educators need to fully accept that close doors and private
work are gone (as well they should be).Every classroom, school, district and beyond will be daily showcases to
the world of what one is doing.Educators will have to be comfortable and excited about showcasing and
sharing, or they will have to find a new career.

2)Educators have to COLLABORATE – the word collaboration is almost
becoming a cliché.However, as
overused as it is, it is an imperative.Educators need to collaborate with other educators (across their
campuses and across the globe) on everything from best practices to project
ideas.And if educators are doing
this only because it’s an expectation, rather than an opportunity, they will
undoubtedly miss the true benefits of collaboration.All industries and professions today embrace the concept of
real world collaboration – with their immediate colleagues, as well as with
those around the world that have new ideas, concepts and challenges to share.
Like so many other things, educators need to lead collaboration opportunities
or find one of those rare professions today where isolation is still the norm
(good luck on that one too).

3)Educators have to CREATE curriculum – the days of depending on a
textbook or one packaged curriculum are on their final march.Because of new standards, technology
and our ever-changing world, educators will be required to and expected to be
curriculum creators.They will
need to be curators of varied resources and work together with their students,
colleagues and schools to create and customize unique learning experiences.There have always been educators from
the beginning of time who did this for a variety of reasons.But we have also embraced a programmed
system for years that where curriculum was lead by chapters and tests from
textbooks and/or fancy binders.The times are a changin’ – many will be excited and say it’s about time,
while some may shed tears as their teachers’ editions and packaged resources
eventually disappear.For those
that enjoy the idea of finding the best resources, ideas, projects - and continually
mixing them like an educational DJ or Chef – they will get the big idea (s) and
reap the benefits.

4)Educators will have to be serious
users of TECHNOLOGY
– whether educators embrace the use of technology wholeheartedly or not, they
will have to continually figure out a way to maximize their work, as well as
the work of their students, using on-line resources and applications.One does not need to be an expert at
all technology, but rather maintain an open mind on how to maximize their
students’ success using technology.All other professions seem to realize that they need to figure out ways
to embrace and incorporate the latest tools for maximum efficiency,
productivity and innovation.Educators cannot be the exception to the rule.As professionals, we have to see how our lessons, activities
and projects will connect our students to present and future
opportunities.Technology is
obviously part of the fabric of that overall design and we have to see it that
way.It’s not our job to pick and
choose what we like in the world and make that our educational foundation.Rather our job to take the best of the
best in available resources and tools in order to optimize the opportunities
and success for all students whom we work with in any capacity.

5)Educators need to facilitate
COMMUNITY – in an
era where students have multiple options on how their education is delivered,
including 100% on-line while at home, educators will need to continually
develop and enhance their learning communities.Students have and will ask why should they come to school or
why should they come to a particular school.Educators will need to answer that question.And because students could just stay
home, what are some answers?The
relationships, culture and opportunities educators create and foster will make
the difference.Will one’s
classroom be friendly, supportive, individualized, customized, equipped,
exciting, engaging and more? It better be.Educators will have to move away from the past where
students just showed up to an environment where students will be choosing to
show up – and they will be choosing or not choosing based on the successful
presence of the aforementioned qualities of the educator’s classroom and
learning environment.

If you are or ever have been a teacher, I'm glad you weren't mine. I don't have much of an issue with using it as a means to reflect on practice but if you're going to share data, honesty and transparency at the top are fundamental, especially when it comes to funding and spending priorities. You can't support student learning without these. In Phila., we don't have it -- never had it, never will. It may seem off topic, but it ties in. Without it, none of this means anything!

Long before the defile of this once great nation by you liberal loons, schools were once the engines of industry and integrity. They would have remained so were it not for your progressive moral relativism and the evils underlying your preposterous and oftentimes demeaning reform initiatives. I am quite confounded and disturbed as to how fundamentally flawed your thinking actually is.

You go ahead and keep them in rows, working quietly under your factory-like model and see where it gets you. Thankfully, you are now safely in the minority. I'm sure your students are very proud of your efforts and creativity.

Having served as a junior high principal I have been called much worse than a loon. As for a liberal I am proud to have that be my "label". Our world is changing. We no longer live in the industrial age and our students deserve an education that is relevant to their future, not our past. This is an exciting time to be an educator. The changes I see in our schools- project-based learning, genius hour, makerspaces, students driving their own learning and others make me wish I was beginning my career and not in my 40th year. The possibilities are endless!

I enjoyed this piece because it cogently explains the power shift in education. The teacher is no longer the source of power, information, knowledge & authority- the child is. The lecture method is no longer relevant, the team creates content. It forces all of us who are educators to facilitate learning that will help children live in an ever-changing world.

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